Boston Marathon Photo Helps Son Find Two Injured Parents

Ann Whalley is in worse shape. She is still on a respirator with more damage to tissue than to bone. "She is out of shock now," he said. "Most of the damage is to her foot. They had to do reconstruction and it's unclear whether or not she'll have mobility. She has to have another surgery."

Whalley has been struck by the kindness of others -- but equally impressed with the power of social media and crowd sharing sites.

Within hours of the bombings, friends from Whalley's alma mater, MIT, had set up a page on the website GiveForward to help his parents with their medical expenses. They both will require at least two more weeks of hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation, treatment that could send costs into the "millions," he said.

Any extra funds will go to help other victims' families, he said.

"The Internet had a really important role in how our story played out and how we could respond to the crisis," said Whalley.

"I mean it's been pretty surreal," he said. "But we've had a lot of support from the community. One of the messages of this story is these online tools are available to people to go and aid others in the recovery process. Getting help can sometimes be overwhelming."

Whalley finds his own strength through the support of others. "You just do the things you can to help and try to keep the faith," he said. "It's been really difficult for a lot of people, but the community has come together to help. There are a lot of positive things that come out of this."

To learn more and to help victims with their medical bills go to GiveForward.